Tuesday, May 20, 2008

A Whinny for Your Thoughts?

What was I so worried about?

I have been nervous about the first time Argo would see the barn horses out in their pastures. I own three stallions and I have18 mares and geldings here. My property is bisected by a road, so the lay of the land is such that I have 4 pastures across the road from my barn and house and I have two very large pastures on the barn and house side, along with Argo’s paddock kind of smacked dab in the middle of the back side of my property. He has a view of all the pastures. The mares currently stay on the barn side and the boys are across the road.

Well, I had decided this afternoon was it, the horses were going out, and the sun had been out long enough to dry the fields out so that there would be no fear of horses sliding down hillsides. I got anxious though as to how best to let the horses out.

I finally decided to have my son, Zared take my senior stallion down the road first, who would pose the least threat, (he is a big sissy), and then let a field of mares out, then back to the younger stallion, and his pasture mate, then a few of the geldings then another field of girls and then the last of the geldings. I waited by the pen to see Argo’s reaction with baited breath.
I didn’t know what to expect. When Argo first heard MaIarky’s shoes hit the road his ears flicked to the noise, once he saw him though, he pretty much turned his back on him.

Okay, one down, 5 more fields to go. The first group of girls went out next. They went tearing up the hillside bucking and carrying on. Argo moved towards their side of the pen and pretty much just stood there. I was worried he would pace, scream, or try to climb the pen, something. Nope, he just stood there. The only thing moving on him was his ears, they were moving like a radar antenna, one ear moving independent of the other ear.

The next stallion, Dell, came down the road with his buddy, Titan. Argo did not even dignify him Dell with a look, much to Dell’s dismay. Dell stood at the fence hollering for Argo to just take a peek at him. Nope. Nada, Not gonna happen.

Argo at this time had gone back to munching hay. Then a group of geldings went out, no change in Argo. Then the last group of girls went out. The pasture this group goes into is further from Argo than the other mare pasture, so I figured we might get just some ear flicking. We got more than that, the girls went tearing up the hill and I watched Argo, again he moved to the side of the pen closest to them and his head came up high, ears erect and he “whinnied”. I was blown away. I was so excited. I started jumping up and down telling Zared, “Did you hear that?” Argo whinnied! He’s happy! Well, Zared burst my bubble, and said”Yea, so?” And then just to reaffirm to me that my first instinct was right, Argo “whinnied” again. I turned to Zared again and said “See he is happy. He just said so!” Zared just smiled with his goofy grin and said “Okay Mom, he’s happy.”

Poor kid probably is thinking his Mother needs a shrink now.

Argo’s “whinnying” to the 2nd group of girls, seemed to me like he was saying “Ladies…, Oh Ladies, see the gentleman in the paddock down and to the right?” And I got to love my girls, they all took pause and looked at him, it was only a moment because they live with 3 stallions already, so it’s no big deal to them, but I could tell Argo was pleased with himself. He stood in the sun and just basked in his glory.

I should have known better, I shouldn’t have been so worried. Horses, Argo knows, that’s what he is comfortable with. People are the unknown.

Oh Ladies!

Look! They Like Me


Just for fun I threw a quick video together of Argo's reaction to the girls.
You can view it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmTcxZy7m5g

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